1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the transmission of media data. More specifically, the invention provides a system and method for controlling the manner in which media data may be served over a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The production and distribution of multimedia data, including video, audio and image data, is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Factors contributing to this explosion in the production and use of multimedia data include the growing popularity and capability of the Internet, the growing affordability of personal computers capable of efficiently processing multimedia data to provide a pleasing experience for users, as well as the fact that multimedia data is far superior to text-only data in conveying content-rich information naturally and intuitively. The great demand for multimedia data will only increase.
People now access and use multimedia data in numerous ways. One way that people access multimedia data is over a network. For example, people using web browsers on personal computers now access multimedia data by surfing the World Wide Web via the Internet. Countless numbers of content providers link multimedia data to web pages accessible by people using web browsers. Today, persons using web browsers can access a web page from a web server operated by a content provider to view video clips, listen to audio clips, or view images made available by the content provider.
Sometimes, a person using a web browser and possibly a media rendering plug-in accesses a media object (e.g., video clip, audio clip, image) on a web site by viewing or listening to the media object as it is being downloaded without ever storing the media object permanently on his or her computer. Other times, a user accesses a media object by downloading it and storing it on his or her computer in its entirety before viewing or listening to the object. A user who accesses a media object by downloading it in its entirety has the advantage of being able to view or listen to the object any number of times without ever having to connect again to a network. For a number of reasons, including encouraging users to repeatedly visit a web site, content providers need to regulate the type of access that users have to one, some or all media objects provided on a web site. Yet, currently, content providers have little ability to conveniently restrict users' access.
Media objects are typically stored as computer files. Thus, one way of restricting users' access to these media objects is to set up a username/password system. Besides presenting possibly prohibitive administrative overhead, such access restriction is undesirable because many users would be unwilling to visit a web site if they were forced to enter a username and password upon every visit.
While existing computer operating systems can, on a user-by-user basis, allow access to a file or prohibit access altogether, that functionality does not help a content provider control particular types of accesses to files. A computer's file systemXtypically a component of the operating systemXgenerally stores certain information about each file stored on the computer, such as, for example, file size and date and time of creation. Neither the size of a file, nor an associated date or time assists in controlling how a user may access a file. Thus, content providers cannot rely on functionality provided by a computer's operating system to control the ways in which a media object may be accessed.
As the demand for multimedia data grows, the multimedia content produced by content providers grows in value. Indeed, many content providers now charge a fee from users who wish to access their content. Content providers are increasingly concerned about the ways in which users are accessing the content and possible uses being made of the content. What content providers need is a convenient way of controlling the ways users can access media objects.